PhoneDog - Mario Kart Tourhttps://www.phonedog.com/tags/mario-kart-tour
enMario Kart Tour officially launches on September 25https://www.phonedog.com/2019/08/26/mario-kart-tour-iphone-android-launch-september-25
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2019/08/mario-kart-tour.jpg?itok=wFM24zY4" width="728" height="409.5" alt="Mario Kart Tour logo" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>More than a year and a half after <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2018/01/31/mario-kart-tour-next-mobile-game-nintendo">it was first announced</a>, Mario Kart Tour has finally gotten a release date.</p>
<p>Mario Kart Tour will launch on September 25. Nintendo confirmed the news today, and the game is now available for "pre-order" on both the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mario-kart-tour/id1293634699" rel="nofollow">App Store</a> and the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.zaka&amp;hl=en_US" rel="nofollow">Play Store</a>.</p>
<p>Like Nintendo's other mobile games, Mario Kart Tour is free to start. The game has you racing around classic Mario Kart courses and on levels inspired by real-world cities. You can use items just like in traditional Mario Kart games, but rather than using a controller, you can steer and drift in Mario Kart Tour using one finger.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center"><p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">Buckle up, because <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarioKartTour?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow">#MarioKartTour</a> will be available on 9/25. Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/mariokarttourEN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow">@mariokarttourEN</a> for more information heading into the game's release. <a href="https://t.co/1V0njTVWRx" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/1V0njTVWRx</a></p>
<p>— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1166144294115323904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow">August 27, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The game also has you collecting Grand Stars by racing to unlock more drivers, karts, and gliders. <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2019/05/22/mario-kart-tour-screenshots-video-gameplay">During the beta that ran a few months ago</a>, we also saw that the game had a premium currency of green gems that you could use to unlock more karts, drivers, and gliders. And then there's stamina, which the beta showed was made up of hearts that each lasted around 15 minutes. When your stamina ran out, you could wait to play again or buy more hearts with gems.</p>
<p>One other thing to note is that Mario Kart Tour does require a persistent connection to the internet.</p>
<p>Mario Kart is a beloved gaming series, and so it'll surely attract a lot of interest from iPhone and Android users when it launches in one month. The question is, will those players stick with the game after downloading it and playing a race or two. The game looks nice in the screens that we've seen so far, but we'll have to wait until next month to see how controls and what the microtransactions are like now that the game is complete.</p>
<p>Are you going to try Mario Kart Tour?</p>
</div></div></div>Tue, 27 Aug 2019 00:55:02 +0000Alex Wagner104568 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2019/08/26/mario-kart-tour-iphone-android-launch-september-25#commentsMario Kart Tour beta screenshots and video give us a glimpse of the gameplayhttps://www.phonedog.com/2019/05/22/mario-kart-tour-screenshots-video-gameplay
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2019/04/25/mario-kart-tour-beta-test-nintendo-applications">The beta for <em>Mario Kart Tour</em></a> officially kicked off today, and while <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/tags/nintendo">Nintendo</a> hasn't revealed much about the upcoming mobile game, those who got into the beta are sharing details about it.</p>
<p>The game starts out like previous entries in the <em>Mario Kart</em> series, letting you select a player, kart, and glider and then racing on tracks from previous games in the <em>Mario Kart</em> series. When you're racing, you can pick up item boxes that include items like banana peels, shells, and stars.</p>
<p>One big difference with <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> are the controls, because you're playing on a touchscreen instead of a console with a controller. As <a href="https://kotaku.com/mario-kart-tour-is-pretty-good-when-it-s-not-nickel-and-1834948363" rel="nofollow"><em>Kotaku</em></a> notes, you steer by dragging your finger to the left and right of your character, and the farther you move your finger in one direction, the harder you'll turn. You can also drift by making a late, aggressive turn, and like in other <em>Mario Kart</em> games, drifting for a few seconds will give you a boost.</p>
<p>And then there are the microtransactions. You collect Grand Stars by completing races and challenges, and these stars can be used to unlock more circuits and gifts. These gifts can contain green gems, which are the game's premium currency but are not currently available for purchase in the beta. Paying five gems will let you "pull" a green pipe to get a new driver, kart, or glider. Each of those three has different bonuses depending on the stage they're on, like getting three item slots instead of one on a particular level, meaning some characters and karts are better choices on certain levels than others.</p>
<p><img alt="Mario Kart Tour screenshots" class="image-blog_entry" height="417.5" src="/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/content_images/2019/05/mario-kart-tour-screens.jpg?itok=mtbHbuwY" width="728" /></p>
<p>There's also a stamina bar that's made up of hearts, each of which lasts around 15 minutes. If your stamina bar runs out, you can't play until you wait a bit or buy more hearts with gems.</p>
<p>The game also has gold coins that you collect during races and earn based on your performance. You can use these coins to buy items from a store. You can also use gems to enter a coin rush mode that lets you drive a track by yourself and collect coins.</p>
<p>The <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> beta — which is now closed — will run through June 4th. Nintendo has said that the game's full launch is this summer, and so it's possible that some tweaks could be made between now and the public release. </p>
<p>The fact that this is a <em>Mario Kart</em> game that's coming to smartphones is sure to earn it a lot of interest when it does launch on Android and iOS. The microtransactions could be a bit of a turn-off for some folks, especially the fact that you have to buy hearts with green gems to keep playing for an extended period of time, but we'll have to wait for the official launch to see exactly how long these hearts last and how often you need to wait before playing again if you don't buy them.</p>
<p>Based on what we've seen of it so far, what do you think of <em>Mario Kart Tour</em>?</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-video-url field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">M45crrCe7pc</div></div></div>Wed, 22 May 2019 21:26:41 +0000Alex Wagner103404 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2019/05/22/mario-kart-tour-screenshots-video-gameplay#commentsMario Kart Tour beta test happening soon, Nintendo now accepting applicationshttps://www.phonedog.com/2019/04/25/mario-kart-tour-beta-test-nintendo-applications
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/blog/main_image/2019/04/mario-kart-tour-large.jpg?itok=uYrLi_5P" width="728" height="409.5" alt="Mario Kart Tour logo" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2018/01/31/mario-kart-tour-next-mobile-game-nintendo"><em>Mario Kart Tour</em></a> is launching this summer, but before the official release, you can participate in a beta test and play the new Nintendo mobile game before the general public.</p>
<p>Nintendo is <a href="https://mariokarttour.com/en-US" rel="nofollow">now taking applications</a> for the closed beta test of <em>Mario Kart Tour</em>. The beta test will be available on Android devices and will run from May 22nd through June 4th. If you'd like to take part in the test, you have until 7:59 pm PT on May 7th to apply.</p>
<p>The beta test is intended to help Nintendo improve the quality of <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> before it's released to the public. There's a limited number of spots in the test, so it's possible that not everyone who applies for the beta test will be invited to participate.</p>
<p>Little is known about <em>Mario Kart Tour</em>, but it'll likely be available on both Android and iOS when it launches. We also know that the game <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2018/02/08/nintendo-mario-kart-tour-free-to-start">will be "free to start"</a>. Nintendo's pricing strategy isn't known, but with <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2016/11/15/super-mario-run-iphone-ipad-launch-date-price"><em>Super Mario Run</em></a>, you were allowed to play the first few levels for free and then you had to pay to unlock the full game.</p>
<p>Nintendo is one of the biggest videogame companies around and <em>Mario Kart</em> is an extremely popular franchise, so there's lots of excitement surrounding <em>Mario Kart Tour</em>. Have you ever played a <em>Mario Kart</em> game?</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 25 Apr 2019 17:09:33 +0000Alex Wagner103062 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2019/04/25/mario-kart-tour-beta-test-nintendo-applications#commentsNintendo's Mario Kart Tour will be 'free to start'https://www.phonedog.com/2018/02/08/nintendo-mario-kart-tour-free-to-start
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/mariokarttourlogolarge_0.jpg?itok=2ODoo0Ca" width="728" height="409.5" alt="Mario Kart Tour logo official" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Nintendo <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2018/01/31/mario-kart-tour-next-mobile-game-nintendo">confirmed last week</a> that <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> will be its next mobile game, but beyond the name and release window, the company didn't reveal much about the app. Now some more information has come out.</p>
<p>DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu has <a href="https://twitter.com/mochi_wsj/status/961507134453071872" rel="nofollow">revealed</a> that <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> will be "free to start". DeNA is a company that is helping Nintendo to develop <em>Mario Kart Tour</em>.</p>
<p>We'll have to wait until <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> launches before we know exactly what "free to start" will mean for it, but Nintendo did use a free to start strategy for <em>Super Mario Run</em>. In it, you can play the first few levels before forcing you to pay for the rest of them.</p>
<p>Does <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> interest you? What do you want to see from the game?</p>
</div></div></div>Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:56:12 +0000Alex Wagner97437 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2018/02/08/nintendo-mario-kart-tour-free-to-start#commentsAre you excited for Mario Kart Tour?https://www.phonedog.com/2018/02/01/are-you-excited-mario-kart-tour
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/MarioKartToursmartphones_0.jpg?itok=auCBbI1H" width="728" height="409.5" alt="Mario Kart Tour" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>When Nintendo announced the Switch console, putting a focus on not just having great games to play at home, but also being able to take the console with you and play games like <em>Mario Kart</em> and <em>Legend of Zelda</em> outside of the living room, one of the reasons I was excited about the console was the company's longstanding racing franchise with Mario behind the wheel.</p>
<p>I'm a big fan of Mario Kart. But, more than that, I thought it would be a fun experience for my two kids who could play the game while we were waiting to do other things. The mobility of the Switch is one of its strongest facets, and the games just add even more reasons to buy one.</p>
<p>Alas, I haven't picked up a Switch yet. I'm not entirely sure one's on the horizon, either.</p>
<p>Which is one of the reasons why when I started looking through the news cycle this morning, I got so excited to see that <em>Mario Kart </em><em>Tour</em>is a thing that's coming to smartphones. I was hoping that it would be a game that was launching soon, but it looks like we will have to wait until at least the Spring of 2019 to see what a smartphone Mario Kart title looks like.</p>
<p>I'm hoping for some amazing things, but I know I should be realistic, too. This is a mobile game we're talking about, which means the possibilities of what <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> actually looks like and plays like are vast. This could be some crazy card-battle game, or even a match-three title. Nintendo didn't go into any details about the title, so there's nothing to go on here.</p>
<p>Still, I'm excited to see what comes of it. I am <em>really</em> hoping there is some kind of multiplayer, and not just local.</p>
<p>This is admittedly a pretty strange move, too, especially if you consider the rumors that Nintendo is also developing a smartphone game within the <em>Legend of Zelda</em> franchise. After all, as I mentioned above, that mobility of the Switch is one of the strongest selling points for the console. If Nintendo launches ridiculously good titles for smartphones that tap the Mario Kart or Zelda (or Metroid, for that matter) franchises, one can't help but wonder why a customer should fork over the cash for a Switch, too.</p>
<p>Which is why I'm going to try and remain skeptical about the <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> experience, especially this far out. I'm one of those customers that won't buy a Switch if I can get a great Mario Kart experience on my smartphone and tablet, after all. One can't help but wonder how the experience will be "limited" in comparison.</p>
<p><em>Super Mario Run</em> is probably a nice way to judge it. That game really is a lot of fun, but it is a trimmed down Mario experience -- especially when you compare it to Nintendo's newest Mario game, <em>Super Mario Odyssey</em>. Nintendo has seen these mobile titles as a way to spark interest in a game, then bring more sales to the Switch and the full-fledged title customers enjoyed playing on their smartphone.</p>
<p>The same will probably be the case for <em>Mario Kart Tour</em>, so, who knows, maybe it'll be the game to convince me I should have been playing <em>Mario Kart 8 Deluxe</em> on the Switch all this time.</p>
<p>What about you? Are you excited about playing a Mario Kart game on your smartphone next year? Do you wish it was launching sooner like I do? Or is this a title that won't catch your attention at all? Let me know!</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-blog-com-ref field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/manufacturers/apple/products">Apple</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/manufacturers/google/products">Google</a></div></div></div>Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:37:08 +0000Evan Selleck97346 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2018/02/01/are-you-excited-mario-kart-tour#commentsMario Kart Tour is the next mobile game from Nintendohttps://www.phonedog.com/2018/01/31/mario-kart-tour-next-mobile-game-nintendo
<div class="field field-name-field-blog-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="https://www.phonedog.com/sites/phonedog.com/files/styles/blog_entry/public/mariokarttourlogolarge.jpg?itok=frefDYJw" width="728" height="409.5" alt="Mario Kart Tour logo official" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>After releasing <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2017/03/17/super-mario-run-launching-android-march-23">Super Mario</a> and <a href="https://www.phonedog.com/2017/11/21/animal-crossing-pocket-camp-android-ios-price-features">Animal Crossing</a> games on mobile devices, Nintendo has revealed which of its properties it'll be bringing to smartphones next.</p>
<p>Nintendo will launch <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> on mobile. Little is known about the game, but Nintendo says that it'll launch "in the fiscal year ending March 2019."</p>
<p>No platforms were named, but both <em>Super Mario Run</em> and <em>Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp</em> were released on Android and iOS, so it seems likely that <em>Mario Kart Tour</em> will hit both platforms as well.</p>
<p>Mario Kart is another major series for Nintendo, with eight main entries in total. What will be interesting is seeing how Nintendo adapts Mario Kart for the smartphone and how well the game will work with touchscreens.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en" xml:lang="en">The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarioKartTour?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow">#MarioKartTour</a> Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019. <a href="https://t.co/8GIyR7ZM4z" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/8GIyR7ZM4z</a></p>
<p>— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/958876622517452801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow">February 1, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
</div></div></div>Thu, 01 Feb 2018 01:47:30 +0000Alex Wagner97329 at https://www.phonedog.comhttps://www.phonedog.com/2018/01/31/mario-kart-tour-next-mobile-game-nintendo#comments